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Cognitive impairment in euthymic major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 October 2012

E. Bora ,
B. J. Harrison ,
M. Yücel  and
C. Pantelis
E. Bora*
Affiliation:
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, VIC, Australia
B. J. Harrison
Affiliation:
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, VIC, Australia
M. Yücel
Affiliation:
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, VIC, Australia Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, The University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia
C. Pantelis
Affiliation:
Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne and Melbourne Health, VIC, Australia
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr E. Bora, Melbourne Neuropsychiatry Centre, Alan Gilbert Building NNF level 3, 161 Barry Street, Carlton South, VIC 3053, Australia. (Email: boremre@gmail.com)
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Abstract

Background

There is evidence to suggest that cognitive deficits might persist beyond the acute stages of illness in major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the findings are somewhat inconsistent across the individual studies conducted to date. Our aim was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing studies that have examined cognition in euthymic MDD patients.

Method

Following a systematic search across several publication databases, meta-analyses were conducted for 27 empirical studies that compared euthymic adult MDD patients (895 participants) and healthy controls (997 participants) across a range of cognitive domains. The influence of demographic variables and confounding factors, including age of onset and recurrent episodes, was examined.

Results

Compared with healthy controls, euthymic MDD patients were characterized by significantly poorer cognitive functions. However, the magnitude of observed deficits, with the exception of inhibitory control, were generally modest when late-onset cases were excuded. Late-onset cases demonstrated significantly more pronounced deficits in verbal memory, speed of information processing and some executive functions.

Conclusions

Cognitive deficits, especially poor response inhibition, are likely to be persistent features, at least of some forms, of adult-onset MDD. More studies are necessary to examine cognitive dysfunction in remitted psychotic, melancholic and bipolar spectrum MDD. Cognitive deficits overall appear to be more common among patients with late-onset depression, supporting the theories suggesting that possible vascular and neurodegenerative factors play a role in a substantial number of these patients.

Keywords

Cognitionlate onsetmajor depressionmemoryneuropsychology
Type
Review Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 43 , Issue 10 , October 2013 , pp. 2017 - 2026
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012 

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